X-Men Visionaries by Jim Lee

In the early1990's the X-Men were the best selling comics around, and that had a lot to do with superstar artist Jim Lee. Lee's stylized and action-oriented artwork was the perfect counterpart to Chris Claremont's dynamic characters, and he soon became the definitive X-Men artist, as well as one of the decade's most imitated. The X-Men: Visionaries - Jim Lee trade paperback collects every single issue of Uncanny X-Men that Jim Lee worked on, including:

Uncanny X-Men #248 - This throwaway Nanny story was really only significant for being Lee's first issue on the title.

Uncanny X-Men #256-258 - This killer 3-part series, which was part of Marvel's Acts of Vengeance crossover, brought Wolverine back to Asia, completely overhauled the Psylocke character, and put our heroes up against the Hand and the Mandarin. This story, which drew inspiration from the best Asian cinema, was one of the most memorable Claremont/Lee collaborations.

Uncanny X-Men #268 - Still regarded as one of the best single-issue X-Men stories of all time, this issue chronicled the first meeting of Wolverine and Captain America, and brought their adventure full circle 50 years later. The Black Widow also plays a major role.

Uncanny X-Men #269 - This issue features Rogue in a solo adventure that takes her all the way to the Savage Land to encounter none other than Magneto. This one sets the bar pretty high for all future "hot chick in the jungle" stories!

Uncanny X-Men #273-277 - This storyline is focused on two major events. The first features Rogue, Magneto, Ka-Zar, and Nick Fury in the Savage Land against the new mistress of magnetism Zaladane. The second finds the rest of the X-Men sent to space to encounter the Shi'Ar, the Starjammers, and their mentor Professor X. The question is who are the good guys and who is really pulling the strings? These issues also brought new characters Gambit and Jubilee into the fold and set the stage for Jim Lee's best-selling X-Men relaunch.